Outfeeding mechanism for portable debarking machines



Feb. 27, 1951 M J, PQWER 2,543,128

OUTFEEDING MECHANISM FOR PORTABLE DEBARKING MACHINES Filed Feb. 7, 19472 Sheets-Sheet 1 /z 22 za 25 -Q mven'ro g Mzcmqsa 4 Po W472 MAMJMTTORNEVS M. J. POWER 2,543,123

OUTFEEDING MECHANISM FOR PORTABLE DEBARKING MACHINES Feb. 27, 1951 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 7, I947 :NViN TOE MIC/{H54- J. aws/Q ATTQRNEYSPatented Feb. 27, 1951 DEFIFI Ci fvv .OUTEEEDINGJVLECHANISMEFORLPQRTABLEDEBARKING MACHINES My invention relates to improvements in outfeedingmechanism for portable debarking machines of the general "typedisclosed'in-my former Letters Patent of the United States No.2,390,459, granted December 4, '194-5. Machines of this type are mounted-on wheeled vehicles whereby they can be transported from one pile :oflogs'to another.

The so-called log :in feedi-ng zand outfeeding conveyor sections asheretofore constructed com- .prisesetsof Elog guiding devices :and logsupporting idle rollers resiliently mounted mn frames which can beattachedateach:place:of -use,=and detached for transportion to the nextplace of use, it having been heretofore :deemed impracti- -.cal to applyengine power :to the vibrating rollers of :the detachable infieeding andoutfeeding conveyor sections.

But it has been :found in practice :that while logs maysaiely ibemanually advanced :along-tthe 'zinfeeding conveyor sectionzuntil grippedand 11:0- .:tated by the pinch rollers (of :the idebar'ker, the .exposed:ends of a crooked .log will thereafter .be swung by said:pinch-rollersina circular'pa'th, thus making further .manual logadvancement diflicult :and dangerous. Also, during the final stages of.a debarkingloperation .the :pinch rollers cannot ,always be :relied.upon for :proper 10g -advancement.

Therefore, the object :of this invention is "to solve the problem .of:providing at least some :of the srollerso'f the l'ogloutfeedingattachment with power transmitting connections capable .of successful:use notwithstanding roller vibrations.

A further object is to provide belt driving mechanism for .outf'eedingrollers .operative under tension which slightly increases in proportionto load.

.More specifically, my object is 1130 :provide .de ibark-ing machineswith .auxiliary 110g :outfeeding rollers capable of vibrationcorrespondence with the pontours ofilogs and whichcan becontinuously-drivenifrom thessource of :power which drives the:debarking mechanism, without subjecting :the .debarking mechanism to:shocks .or strains due to the vibration of .such irollers.

.lnthe drawings:

:Eigure 21 is :a plan view of the log supporting andgdebarkingeelements0f :a deb arising machine equipped with an .outteeding :conveyor embody-:i-ng my invention.

.Figure 2 is a side elevation 10f ithemutfeeding conveyor.

Fi ures is-atdetail sectional viewnf :therrneans tor adjusting theroller supporting :springs 10f llU the outfeeding conveyor, drawn toline 3- 3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a rear end elevation of shown in'Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a detail view in cross section drawn to line '55 of Figure1.

Like parts are identified by the same reference "characters throughoutthe several views.

In a debarking machine of .thetype disclosed in my former patent, enginepower is ordinarily applied to a puIley.,Ajhy ancngine driven belt a.The pulley A ,is fixed to a shaft B, on which a drum B is mounted whichcarries deharking hammers or .tools. From shaft B poweris trans-.mittediby asprocket chain b to an overhead jj ack shaft C supported byupper frame elements C. Bower is transmitted from jack shaft C toanother jack shaft ,D through chain c, and from shaft .D to .shaft 3through chain .e. ,A logsupporting and rotating roller F is mounted ,ona knucklejointed shaft G which .is driven'loy chain girom thejackshaftEHand .from jack shaft D, a chain (1 drives log gripping androtating .devices not shown) which cooperate with roller in presentingthe log to the debar-hing elements on .drum vC. The logs .are deliveredto the ma- .chine-byan :infeedingnonveyor (notshoW-n) and are deliveredfrom the machineby an outfeeding conveyor section having frame elementsH and pairs .of convergent flag-like guides I, hetween which thedebarked log is delivered over one or more resilientlysupported idlerollers J.

These -.elements amay-be :of any ordinary construction. Theyare notclaimed herein, and as corresponding elements are disclosed .in saidformer ;patent, further illustration .and description-of them and theirfunctions is deemed unnecessary.

For .the purposes of the invention ,herein .disclosed, I have added anoverhead .countershaft to which :15 journ-aled ,in the :upper frame velements 0' and is driven from shaft D-by-a-sprocket chain :H. The shafti i] :carries a pulley 12,,irom

the parts which an ioutfeeding conveyor roller M is driven any. acrossed and twisted belt it, pulley l i shaft t8, pulley talcrossed belt22, pulley 2.3, and shaft 1241, .on which the:o utfeeding roller M :isfixedly .mounted. The shait 24 .also carries @a ,pulley from which power.is transmitted by a belt zand :pulley :29 its a spring supported rollernear the log receiving endaof the outfee,ding conveyor. Therollers "Hi:and as are provided with longitudinally extending projections :01 ribsfor engagement with the outfeedi-ng log, wher.eby

the latter may be urged by these rollers toward the delivery end of theconveyor.

Pairs of inclined leaf springs 34, 35 and 36 each have one endadjustably secured to frame elements 38 of the outfeeding conveyor H.The raised ends of the springs 34 support the bearings of the outfeedingroller l4, the raised ends of the springs 35 support the bearings of theidle roller J, and the raised ends of the springs 36 support thebearings of the outfeeding roller 39. Therefore each of the outfeedingrollers may be depressed independently of the others. When equallysubject to the weight of a straight log, all of them may be uniformlydepressed, but ordinarily the rotating logs will have knots or bendswhich will unequally distribute its weight on the rollers and keep themin a state of continuous vibration While the log is being rotated andadvanced in contact with them. The lower or frame supported end of eachof the springs 34, 35 and 36 is connected by a pair of bolts 39 with arockable mounting 40, which is supported by a pivot pin 4| from a pairof spaced Walls 42 forming part of a bracket-like frame member 31. Theseparallel walls are cross connected by a web 43, and adjusting screws 44which extend through this web in threaded engagement therewith and havetheir upper ends in bearing contact with the end portions of themounting 40 on opposite sides of the pivot pin 4!. Therefore, byretracting one of these screws and advancing the other, the pitch of theassociated roller supporting springs 34, 35 and 36 may be adjusted todetermine the normal position of each roller with reference to the otherrollers of the outfeeding conveyor section. All of the rollers may thusbe normally supported in a common plane.

The inner ends of the frame H are suspended by hangers 45 from a pivotshaft 46 in line with the belt driving shaft I8. The shaft 46 issupported by a bracket 4'! which extends laterally from one of the lowerframe bars C of the debarking mechanism. Therefore, when the debarker isbeing transported from place to place, the frame H of the outfeeder maybe swung upon pivot shaft 46 to a raised position, carrying with it thebelts 22 and 28 without unshipping them from their respective pulleys.The frame H may be held in its raised position by a hook 48 carried byone of the upper frame elements C. At each place of use the frame H isswung downwardly and laterally, and its outer end is supported from theground by legs 49. As shown in the former patent, it is provided withshort outwardly extending arms 50 which support an auxiliary frame 55provided with idle rollers 52, over which the debarking logs may befinally delivered. The flaglike guides 54 have supporting posts 55 urgedto guiding position by springs 56 substantially as disclosed in saidformer patent, and the posts which support these guides may, if desired,be removed preparatory to swinging the frame H to its upright position.

The crossed and twisted belt l6 will not be subject to variation intension since the shafts l and i8 are mounted in fixed journals. Thebelt 22 will be subject to a slight increase in tension when the roller14 is depressed from its normal position to or across a horizontal planewhich includes the mounting of its supporting spring 34. But since thebelt also tends to swing toward or across a horizontal plane whichincludes the axis of the shaft l8, its increased tension will merelyincrease its tractive power in a certain proportion to the extra loadimposed by the log upon the roller l4 without subjecting any of theparts to shock or excessive strain.

For similar reasons, downward vibrations of the outfeeding rollers I4and 36 will cause a slight increase in tension of the belt 28 andincrease its tractive power without subjecting any of the parts to unduestrain or shock. The raised ends of the leaf springs which support thepower driven rollers swing downwardly in arcs which curve in the samedirection as the arcs in which the belts swing, although at a shorterradius.

The object of connecting the belt 22 with a remote roller on the feedwayand of connecting that roller to the receiving roller 30 by another beltis to provide means for utilizing belts of such length that unduestrains will not be imposed upon them by the above mentioned variationsin tension.

I claim:

1. In a log debarking machine provided with a feedway frame extendinglaterally from its outfeeding side and a plurality of rollers journaledin resiliently supported bearings carried by said frame, said rollersnormally having coplanar axes, the combination therewith of a powerdriven shaft mounted on the debarking machine on an axis normallycoplanar with the roller axes, and a belt connection between said shaftand one of the rollers remote from the shaft, whereby to allow theroller to vibrate in an arc intercepting the plane in which the shaftaxis is disposed, under pressure of a rotating log, withoutobjectionable change in belt tension.

2. In a log debarking machine provided with a pivotally connectedfeedway frame extending laterally from its outfeeding side and rollersjournaled in resiliently supported bearings carried by said frame, thecombination therewith of a power driven shaft aligned with said pivotalconnection and mounted on the debarking machine in a position parallelto said rollers, a belt connection between said shaft and a remoteroller in said set, and another belt connection between said remoteroller and another roller in said set adjacent the debarking machine.

3. In a log debarking machine having a feedway frame extending laterallyfrom its outfeeding side, rollers journaled in bearings supported bysets of leaf springs with the springs of at least one of the sets havingtheir inner ends connected with the frame and their outer ends extendingin a raised position in supporting relation to a roller near the outerend of said frame, the combination therewith of a power driven shaftmounted on the debarking machine in a position parallel to said rollerand at nearly the same level, and a belt connection between said shaftand roller whereby said roller and the associated end of said belt mayvibrate in arcs of different radius and which curve in the samedirection without objectionable change in belt tension.

4. In a log debarking machine having a pivotal feedway frame extendinglaterally from its outfeeding side, a pair of leaf springs each havingone end secured to an intermediate portion of the frame and projectinglongitudinally thereof and upwardly toward the outer end of said frame,-another pair of springs secured to an intermediate portion of the frameand projecting upwardly toward the inner end of said frame, rollersjournaled in bearings mounted on the upper ends of the respective pairsof springs, said rollers normally having horizontal and coplanar axes,the combination therewith of a power driven shaft mounted on theoutfeeding side of the debarking machine with its axis slightly belowthe normal horizontal plane of the roller axes, a belt connectionbetween said shaft and the roller mounted on the outwardly and upwardlyprojecting springs, and another belt connection between said outerroller and the roller carried by the inwardly and upwardly projectingsprings.

5. In a log debarking machine having a feedway frame extending laterallyfrom its outfeeding side, leaf springs obliquely disposed in pairs onopposite sides of the frame and in substantially parallel relation,adjacent ends of each pair of springs having mountings oscillatable uponindividual pivotal connections with the frame, a plurality of rollersjournaled in bearings on corresponding divergent ends of oppositesprings, and means for adjusting individually the oblique angle of therespective springs, said means comprising abutments and set screwsrespectively connected with the frame and respective springs at oppositesides of the respective pivotal connections.

6. A log outfeeder for a debarking machine, comprising the combinationwith a supporting frame having side bars provided with bracket- 6 likemembers, a rockable spring mounting pivotally secured to eachbracket-like member, adjusting screws engaging said rockable mountingand mounted in each bracket in spaced relation with the pivotal axis ofsaid rockable mounting for determining the pitch of the mountings, leafsprings each having one end secured to one of the mountings, 10gsupporting rollers journaled in bearings supported by the other ends ofsaid leaf springs, and a power driven shaft having a belt connectionwith one of said rollers adapted to swing with it across a horizontalplane which includes the axis of said shaft.

MICHAEL J. POWER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 509,405 Stroh et a1. Nov. 28,1893 771,291 Zalikowski Oct/4, 1904 936,659 Perkins Oct. 12, 1909 262,390,459 Power Dec. 4, 1945

